This invention relates in general to scales or weighing apparatus and more particularly to a scale adapted to measure moderately low weights or forces particularly useful in inventory control.
There are a plethora of requirements in the prior art for determining the weight or difference in weight of an object or the contents of a container.
For example, in an inventory control system for a bar operation, the manager would wish to determine the opening inventory of a plurality of whiskey bottles, each one of which may be partially full. He would also wish to know the contents of each bottle at the end of the working day. One technique of performing such control is to weigh the bottle and its contents by means of a scale. It can also be determined that density of different brands of liquor can vary and hence, the amount of liquor used can be determined by the difference in weight over a predetermined time. Each bottle to be weighed is set on a separate platform when not in use and the platform is coupled to a scale or weighing instrument. This technique would be applicable to all sorts of fungible goods and hence, the same approach could be used for weighing and monitoring the contents of any container as food stuffs, liquids other than alcoholic beverages and so on.
Basically, each bottle or container with its contents must be positioned at or on a scale location so that the use or depletion of the contents can be continuously monitored.
In the above example, a typical bar or liquor dispensing operation might wish to monitor the contents of One Hundred Fifty bottles and hence, one would require One Hundred Fifty separate scales and platform locations.
It should therefore be apparent that the cost of such scales should be relatively inexpensive.
It should also be apparent that the scale be capable of measuring low weights. For example, one might require a measurement within an accuracy of up to 1/10 of a liquid ounce, which might be equivalent to a few drops poured from the contents of a particular bottle. Thus, besides the function of economics, one must provide accuracy of measurement.
Since a bar or similar establishment can be busy and hectic, one must also provide such measurements even though a bottle is not exactly positioned at the center of the platform, but is placed back in any general position on the platform.
While many scales or weighing devices exist in the prior art, they are cumbersome, expensive and do not solve the problems attendant with such inventory control systems.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved scale for weighing the contents of a container economically and with necessary accuracy.